How to Make My Mac Safe From Hackers

by Jason Artman, Demand Media

Protect your Mac computer from hackers.

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Malicious computer hacking takes a variety of forms. A hacker can attempt to damage your computer or steal personal data by planting malicious code in software, monitoring your wireless network for unsecured transmissions or scanning for vulnerabilities remotely via the Internet. Your Mac includes tools to help you protect your computer from hacking, but the protection these tools offer is minimal. A comprehensive solution requires additional planning and software.

Step 1

Connect your Mac to a router, rather than directly to a broadband modem. A router uses network address translation to assign an IP address to your Mac that can only be reached from within your home network. If you connect your Mac directly to a broadband modem, your computer receives a public IP address from the modem, making it vulnerable to random scanning via the Internet.

Step 2

Use encryption to prevent a hacker from breaking in to your wireless network. Encryption disguises your wireless transmissions as junk data, and it can only be returned to its original form with the ASCII key you select. WPA2 encryption is extremely difficult to crack; it would require great dedication and computing power to find your encryption key.

Configure your Mac to download important system updates automatically. Click the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of the screen and select "System Preferences" on the pull-down. In the "System Preferences" window, click the App Store panel. Click to place a check in the "Automatically Check for Updates" and “Download Newly Available Updates in the Background” boxes. Check the “Install OS X Updates” to enable updates to install automatically. This ensures that your computer receives important security updates as soon as they are released.

Step 4

Enable your Mac's built-in software firewall. Open the "System Preferences" menu and click the "Security & Privacy" icon under the "Personal" heading. Select the "Firewall" tab at the top of the window; click the "Start" button to enable the firewall. Click the "Advanced" button to select the programs and services you want to allow through the firewall.

Step 5

Operate your Mac using a limited user account, rather than an administrator account. This prevents software from installing itself on your computer automatically without your permission, because you must provide the administrator password manually when you want to install software.

Step 6

Run anti-virus software at all times. A good security suite scans your downloads for viruses automatically before allowing you to run them; it checks each website you visit to prevent you from succumbing to a phishing attack.

Step 7

Exercise caution when using your Mac. Never click links in email messages and look for trusted reviews before downloading unfamiliar software. Always check the URL in your browser's address bar before providing your password on a website. Security software is not a replacement for good security practices.

About the Author

Jason Artman has been a technical writer since entering the field in 1999 while attending Michigan State University. Artman has published numerous articles for various websites, covering a diverse array of computer-related topics including hardware, software, games and gadgets.

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